Daryl Hannah: Keystone Pipeline won’t help gas prices

>>> in the meantime, former vice president al gore made a passionate argument against the keystone xl pipeline saying last night in a speech that getting that oil from canada is just like a junkie, who, quote, finds veins in their toes when ones in their arms and legs give out. the debate owner keystone is escalating. daryl hannah wound up in a protest. she and dozens of others arrested after change themselves to the white house gates last wednesday. daryl hannah out of jail but still fighting and she joins me from los angeles . good morning, daryl.

>> good morning.

>> this is the third time you've been arrested for the same cause. i think in 2011 at the white house . again, last fall at a protest in texas. why is this so important?

>> well, the keystone pipeline is sort of a linchpin to whether or not we lock ourselves into a catastrophic climate change and also dirty fossil fuel future for this country. it is not just a symbolic gesture, it really is the key linchpin into whether or not the tar sands mines will be able to expand. right now the size of the city of chicago and plan to expand them to the size of the state of florida . that cannot happen if they don't have access to the global market which is what they want to put this pipeline ? they want it as an export pipeline .

>> they say 20,000 new jobs could be created. decreased dependency on opec. written in "the new york times" by joe nocera . so how do you convince skeptics?

>> well, first of all, we're already processing some of that tar sands oil in the midwest and oklahoma. the reason they want to get this product to the coast is because they cannot get it to the coast in canada . they want to make it available for sale on the global market . this is not oil that is promised to us. it is going to be refined into diesel which is what they do, for the most part, down in the gulf and then make it available for export. we will be bearing all of the risks for this pipeline to go through our aqua firs and through the bread basket of our economy which is experiencing stream drought and when we have fossil furs in that area they do not replenish. it has nothing to do with gas prices . i mean, they have got 20 million dollars in just pr alone to try to confuse people about this issue but this does not have anything to do with energy security . it doesn't have to do with gas prices . this is just so that these oil companies can do their fiduciary duty and reap more rewards for their shareholders and to increase their profit.

>> they, obviously, have spent money on this and on your side, some environmental groups have as well. although you and some other celebrities have really made this an important cause and have gotten a lot of publicity for it. do you think it helps or do you think it sort of fuels the opposition and they sort of mock you and put you in this category as they like to say of crazy liberals?

>> i'm not a big fan of all of this polarizing that the media takes part in. we are all human beings and right now we are experiencing a time where we have our life support systems are at risk and it's crucial that all of us speak up and it doesn't matter what profession you're in. it's important that question we share information and do our research because there is billions of dollars at stake and that is why people are promoting these misinformation campaigns, so it's really crucial to start getting out there and speaking up, sharing information, and pressing our government to do our will and not just the will of the money that goes in their pockets from these corporations who have the right to do so now that citizens united verse fac has been passed.

>> let me ask ask you, finally, about the president. i think it's generally understood he's in a tough spot and gotten support from environmental groups and showed support about the pipeline project during his campaign. even talked about global warming during his state of the union address . and, yet, there is this relationship with canada that is very important to the united states , domestic labor unions are concerned about the jobs.

>> but labor unions have also been spoken out against -- against this pipeline as well. i mean, especially ones who are concerned with our health like the nurses union and other unions have aligned to people trying to bring some common sense to the situation.

>> in the end what does your gut tell you? what is the president going to do?

>> i think if people press him and let him know that the citizens do not want this pipeline . of course, big business wants the pipeline . the wealthiest corporations in the history of mankind, the oil companies , want this pipeline because it's going to bring billions more profits to them when they are able to refine it and export it. this does not bring any benefit to us in the united states . there is independent studies done about the number of jobs that have been greatly exaggerated and in terms of energy security it really has nothing to do with energy security and it's important to do that research to understand that so we can press the president as he has asked us to do again and again, asked us to push him, to push him to consider his legacy and to consider future generations .

>> actress and activist daryl hannah , thank you very much.

>> thank you.

>> let's take a quick break. we will be back with